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Aug 13, 2024

Best Practices for Mobile App Automated Testing TechRound TeamAugust 13, 2024 As the demand for sophisticated features and smooth user experiences grows, the need for effective mobile app testing has become more essential than ever. Test automation has become a crucial aspect in this field, offering the ability to quickly identify defects, minimise manual testing efforts, and speed up release cycles. This blog will delve into the five essential best practices for automated mobile app testing to ensure you’re optimising your testing processes effectively. Automated testing proves indispensable in the fast-paced mobile app landscape, where users demand flawless performance and swift bug resolutions. It is utilised for: Functional Testing: Ensuring the app and its features operate as expected Regression Testing: Confirming that new code changes don’t disrupt existing functionalities or introduce new bugs Performance Testing: Assessing the app’s behavior under various conditions and loads Compatibility Testing: Verifying that the app performs consistently across different devices and OS versions Integration Testing: Identifying defects in the app’s interactions with third-party programs and APIs Security Testing: Detecting vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the app’s security By automating routine and time-consuming tasks, QA teams can shift their focus to more intricate test scenarios and high-value activities, such as exploratory testing and enhancing user experience. Mobile app automated testing is often the most efficient and cost-effective approach for most testing needs, offering significant advantages: Repeatability: Tests can be executed repeatedly with consistent accuracy Speed: Automated tests perform complex scenarios much faster than manual testers Parallel Execution: Tests can be conducted simultaneously across multiple devices, platforms, and versions Comprehensive Coverage: Automation can handle thousands of test cases per run, delivering extensive coverage that manual testing often cannot achieve Accuracy: Automation cuts down the risk of human error inherent in manual testing Cost Efficiency: Although the initial setup may be costly, ongoing management of automated testing is generally less expensive than manual testing While automation offers numerous benefits, manual testing remains valuable for evaluating UX/UI, user acceptance, and app behavior, where human insight is crucial. More from Tech Implementing automated testing presents challenges, but following critical best practices can help ensure your strategy achieves optimal results. An appropriate test automation framework is essential for a successful mobile app testing strategy. The ideal framework should be user-friendly, flexible, and compatible with your programming languages and platforms. Popular frameworks, such as Appium, Espresso, XCTest, and Calabash. While choosing an automation framework, consider the following factors: Platform Compatibility: Ensure it supports your app’s platforms ( Android app testing , iOS app testing, or both) Language and Framework Compatibility: Match it with your app development languages and frameworks Support for New Devices/OS Versions: Assess how easily it can adapt to new devices and OS versions Test Development Language: Choose a framework that aligns with your preferred language for test development Integration: Verify ease of integration with your existing tools and processes Community Support: Look for solid community support and available resources Selecting the proper framework will streamline your test automation process and set the stage for long-term success. A well-constructed test automation strategy is crucial for achieving effective results. Your plan should encompass the following elements: Clear Goals and Objectives: Determine the objectives of your automation efforts and establish measurable goals to monitor progress Test Case Selection: Choose test cases that are repetitive and time-consuming, as these benefit most from automation Test Case Design: Develop concise tests with fewer steps. Break down complex tests into smaller, more manageable ones to enhance stability and reliability Test Environment: Determine how and where you will execute your tests, considering device types, operating systems, and network configurations Test Coverage: Use analytics to understand your target audience’s devices and operating systems. Based on this data, prioritise test coverage Continuous Integration and Continuous Delivery (CI/CD): Incorporate test automation into your CI/CD pipeline for seamless execution and rapid feedback Creating a robust strategy lays a solid foundation for your test automation efforts and maximises your return on investment (ROI). To enhance the efficiency of your test automation, concentrate on developing test scripts that are modular, reusable, and easy to maintain. Here are some best practices to achieve this: Apply the Page Object Model (POM): The POM design pattern encapsulates UI elements and interactions in separate classes, making your test scripts more resilient to UI changes Organise Test Cases Efficiently: Tailor test case organisation to account for platform-specific requirements, recognising that some tests may apply only to specific platforms Develop Reusable, Parameterised Methods: Develop reusable methods for finding and interacting with app elements, and organise them into a separate class. This promotes code reusability across tests and platforms, streamlining maintenance Implement Data-Driven Testing: Parameterise test scripts to accept input from external sources like Excel files or databases. This increases test flexibility and reduces the effort needed to update scripts when data changes Account for Platform-Specific Features: Identify and address features, such as location or privacy permissions, that may require different test steps based on the platform or operating system Use Parallel Testing: Execute multiple tests simultaneously on different devices or emulators to reduce overall testing time and accelerate the release cycle. By following these practices, you can enhance the efficiency and maintainability of your test automation efforts. Testing mobile apps can be challenging, given the wide array of mobile devices, operating systems, and network configurations. To ensure seamless functionality across diverse environments, adhere to these best practices: Prioritise Functional Testing on Real Devices: Conduct functional testing on actual devices for reliable results, using emulators primarily for UX testing. This approach balances comprehensive coverage with cost and execution time considerations Maintain a Device Lab: Develop a device lab that includes a mix of popular, older devices and various OS versions. This ensures compatibility with the devices most used by your target audience Leverage Cloud-Based Testing Solutions: Utilise cloud-based testing platforms such as HeadSpin or AWS Device Farm . These services offer a broader range of devices and configurations, complementing your device lab and reducing the need for device maintenance and associated costs By following these practices, you can ensure thorough testing across multiple devices and platforms, enhancing your app’s reliability and user experience. Continuous improvement is essential for effective mobile app test automation. To drive success, focus on these critical practices: Monitor Test Results: Regularly review test outcomes from your CI/CD pipeline to spot patterns and trends in test failures Analyse Test Data: Utilise data analytics and visualisation tools to understand test execution, coverage, and effectiveness. This strategy will enable you to make informed decisions and focus on areas needing improvement Produce Reports: Generate comprehensive reports to identify potential application performance and stability issues across various versions, devices, and platforms Iterate and Improve: Based on your analysis, refine your test automation strategy, framework, or scripts to boost their effectiveness and efficiency By consistently monitoring, analysing, and iterating, you can enhance your test automation process and achieve better results. As the demand for top-notch mobile applications grows, automated testing will remain a crucial part of the development process. It is crucial to deliver exceptional quality with each update and feature. HeadSpin’s AI-driven platform stands out by integrating expert QA engineers and strategically selecting metrics to ensure the timely delivery of high-quality software. Its advanced capabilities enable organisations to tackle testing challenges and excel in software development effectively. Related Articles